Iwan Ries IRC Virginia Flake

A mild, sweet and enjoyable tabacco. I like the low nicotine level. No flavouring at all. It is an all day tabacco. Burn very good and i like it. It isn't ranked in the top 20 of my favorites but I buy it once in a time. I can recommend this one.

Smooth virginia tobacco taste. Nothing fancy. If you're a no-nonsense smoker looking for a good old straight and satisfying virginia flake for a reasonable price, look no further...

My sample has a minty smell in the bag; like tic-tacs, and this put me off at first, but I can't detect the scent once the tobacco is lit-it's just a good bulk natural Virginia flake. The burning qualities seem a little uneven, but that's no big deal. Simple, plain Virginia along the lines of Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake. Good price in bulk as well.

1-23-10 I had been using this mainly for blending, but tonight, after a steak dinner and a cheap yet tasty bottle of South African wine, decided to pack up my Savinelli Capri with this blend for the last pipe (?) of the night. Aging in a jar for a year has treated this flake well. The first third of the bowl showed up this tobacco's weaknesses: uneven burn, hard to get lit. Granted, I did not rub it out. But then it really opened up. The Savinelli is not a big pipe, but the bowl smoked for a solid hour. In the "home stretch," I was getting a sublime pure Virginia taste from small sips. I had been pushing the pipe harder earlier on, yet despite this abuse, I experienced no bite and the pipe did not overheat. At the end, I was treated to pure Virginia nirvana; it is the only tobacco that makes you want to smoke the ashes! Speaking of ashes, this tobacco does not seem to leave much in the way of ashes. Therefore, with all due pomp and circumstance, I give to you, IRC flake, your fourth and final star.

1-24-11 Back to three stars. I must have been pretty drunk that night. I'm not saying it's bad, just does not make that level of four-star tobacco. Like, would I put this on the level of FVF or Escudo? Has a strange smell as it ages, almost like fish or the beach, but it is not offensive, and this is still a good smoke.

IRC's Virginia Flake has a bright, racy Virginia taste with good volume and a fair nicotine hit. It is redolent of musty new-mown hay. An untoasted tobacco, it is slightly sweet, as from golden honey, and mildly tangy, as from the zest of a citrus rind. But mainly, it's just good old Virginia tobacco taste that gets toastier as you smoke it.

It makes a good all day smoke because it smokes dryly, is mellow and refreshing to the palate, and is well behaved in the bowl whether folded or rubbed. It folds compliantly for stuffing in a bowl -- that's the way I handle it. But it rubs-out wonderfully if that's what you prefer. I get best results in a briar with a small diameter bowl, but it's great to sip from a gourd calabash too.

I picked up a two-ounce sample of this Virginia flake on my first trip to Iwan Ries and Co. in Chicago, IL. Most college students spend spring break in Florida but, I spent my in the area of Indiana called The Region. Upon the suggestion of a fellow smoker in Knoxville, TN I decided to make a trip to this famous establishment. The shop was awesome. Alas, back to the tobacco, this flake is very familiar to Mac Baren Virginia Flake. Normally a tobacco like this would burn up my mouth but this one is not a tongue burner. It is very light and pleasant unlike the Mac Baren offering and at for the price it might be worth investing the money to get some weight. If you get a chance to visit this shop buy this tobacco. You won’t be disappointed.

mar 2015 either the new irc flake has lost flavor or my tastes are demanding a richer smoke

feb 2013---- I BELIEVE THIS HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED---MORES THE PITY...

2005: i have smoked this flake, off and on , for nearly 25 years. it is cut similar to dunhill flake,and is perhaps richer, but not as oily or rich or fully flavored as marlin flake. in the ddunhill occasionally i taste a touch of soap---none in the irc flake. (i don't know who makes this tobacco--i think it's danish) it begins a bit bright, perhaps a touch of lemon but develops into a nice, toasted taste and aroma, which last through the entire pipe. it lights like a flake, but, if rubbed and packed properly ,stays lit with an even cool burn. it does not seem very stoved ( if at all) and seems to have no added flavoring. i find it one of the few i can smoke several bowls in a row, and i also find it one of the few that will tolerate being relit an hour or so later.i am not loyal--i smoke it as only one of a large number i keep open ( 10 or so), but i always come back to irc flake. joeljcj2

My review is on IRC Flake(comes in a Navy Flake). Its far one of the best Bulk Flakes in the Market. Its a Virginia with just a right amount of Perique. very mild smoke and great especially for a summer smoke I think this better than their Virginia Flake. Absolutley great Va/Per Blend. Good price point also.